Art Madrid'25 – Se Alquila, art for disused spaces

Se Alquila ESTADO

 

 

SE ALQUILA was born as an alternative to the dominant cultural and defends a model of social management and participation in culture, working on current issues, analyzing the roles and daily habits of the community, inviting to action and reflection on specific topics of interest general.

 

 

 

 

 


As a sign of identity, SeAlquila (created by the cultural asociations ENTREsijos and Lacosacultural) occurs in public and private abandoned or underused spaces. They create ephemeral cultural events and give diffusion and visibility to the contemporary artistic creation. This kind of "squat" events, temporary and peaceful, it is a response to the need to reclaim the use of the multitude of spaces and properties, whether public or private, are abandoned, unused or underused to become "refuges creativity ", places of production, learning, reflection and enjoyment, also showing its exhibition and trade possibilities.

 

Se Alquila CUERPO

 

 

Se Alquila BURBUJA

 

 

In previous years they were held SeAlquila Bubble, SeAlquila Body, SeAlquila Market, Se Alquila State, and in this fifth edition, SeAlquila Public, has proposed to the creators of all disciplines working under the same concept, that of " public "in any of its forms. Thus, more than 100 proposals from all disciplines, painting, photography, performance, installation, video art ... make the program of performances, workshops, panel discussions, concerts and exhibitions that this year, in Madrid, will be held in one of the great nineteenth century buildings, the former headquarters of Daoiz and Velarde, present and future cultural center theater. And this year, SeAlquila is also based in Guayaquil (Ecuador).

 

 

 

 

 

On Thursday 19 and Friday 20 November, two debates-dialogue will be held, "to make (it) PUBLIC" which will feature professional and cultural players arrived in the public domain and independent practice (Azucena Klett - Area of ??Arts of the City Council of Madrid, Javier Martin -.. Art Advisory CAM, INTERMEDIAE, Goethe Inst and Javier Duero - Regardless commissioner). Both debates, open to public participation, try to develop a constructive dialogue on cultural policies and other forms of participation in the management of culture in Madrid.

 

 

On Saturday November 21, the artistic projects selected this year will be presented to the public ... and among them is UN OJO PARA EL ARTE / AN EYE FOR ART (# ArtMadrid15 partners, congratulations !!)

 

From July 7 to 9, 2025, the Balsera Palace will host the First Course on Collecting and Contemporary Art, an intensive 15-hour program that will explore the complex and fundamental question of taste in contemporary art. Organized by the Nebrija Institute of Arts and Humanities at Nebrija University and the Avilés City Council, in collaboration with 9915 — Association of Private Collectors of Contemporary Art and the Institute of Contemporary Art, the course offers a unique opportunity for analysis and debate on the dynamics that shape aesthetic and symbolic value in today’s art scene.


First Course on Collecting and Contemporary Art. Avilés, Asturias


The notion of taste, intrinsically tied to aesthetic judgments and power relations, has played a decisive role in the historical prominence of artists and artworks. However, contemporary art—marked by its breaking of conventions, diversity of media and techniques, and critical stance toward traditional canons—raises fundamental questions about the continued relevance of this concept.

This course will explore how the decisions made by key players in the art system—institutions, private collections, galleries, curators, and artists—continually redefine a field of taste shaped by aesthetic, symbolic, cultural, social, and political logics.


"¿But does it exist, and what is the prevailing taste of our time—so seemingly confused, fragmented, indecipherable?" - Omar Calabrese, The Neo-Baroque Era.


The academic program, directed by José Luis Guijarro Alonso, Director of the Master’s in Art Market and Related Business Management at Nebrija University, and Pablo Álvarez de Toledo, Head of the Department of Arts at Nebrija University and the Nebrija Institute of Arts and Humanities, will bring together a distinguished group of national experts—including collectors, critics, curators, gallery owners, and artists—whose contributions will address key issues in shaping aesthetic, symbolic, and market value in today’s art world.


PROGRAM

MONDAY, JULY 7

9:30 AM Registration.

10:00 AM Course Opening Nebrija University Avilés City Council Presented by Rosario López Meras – President of the Association of Contemporary Art Collectors, 9915, and Adrián Piera – President of the ICA, Institute of Contemporary Art.

10:30 AM Course Presentation By José Luis Guijarro Alonso – Art Historian and Anthropologist, Researcher, and Director of the Master’s in Art Market and Related Business Management at Nebrija University.

11:00 AM Coffee Break.

11:30 AM Panel Discussion The Taste of Private Collecting as a Prelude to History. Speakers: Candela Álvarez Soldevilla – Entrepreneur and Collector; Javier Quilis – INELCOM Collection; José Miguel Vegas Valle – Collector. Moderator: Luis Feás – Critic and Curator.

1:00 PM Lunch Break.

3:30 PM Individual Lecture On Good Taste in Contemporary Art. Speaker: Marisol Salanova – Curator and Art Critic, Director of Arteinformado.

4:45 PM Panel Discussion The Influence of Galleries in Shaping Contemporary Taste. Speakers: Elba Benítez – Gallerist; Ricardo Pernas – Gallerist (Arniches 26); Aurora Vigil-Escalera – Gallerist. Moderator: Rafael Martín – Coleccion@casamer.

6:00 PM End of Day.

6:30 PM Activity and Cocktail Visit to the Exhibition Asturian Artists in the Pérez Simón Collection – Avilés.

TUESDAY, JULY 8

10:00 AM Individual Lecture Contemporary (Bad) Taste: Kitsch, Camp, and Tacky. Speaker: Julio Pérez Manzanares – Autonomous University of Madrid.

11:00 AM Coffee Break.

11:30 AM Panel Discussion Institutions and the Formation of Contemporary Taste. Speakers: Virginia López – Artist, Founder of PACA_Proyectos Artísticos Casa Antonino; Julieta de Haro – Artistic Director of CentroCentro; Carlos Urroz – Director of Institutional Relations, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía. Moderator: Laura Gutiérrez – Director, School of Art of Oviedo.

1:00 PM Lunch Break.

3:30 PM Panel Discussion Beyond the Eye: The Taste for Ethical, Ecological, Social, or Political Concerns in Contemporary Art. Speakers: Semíramis González – Independent Curator; Eugenio Ampudia – Artist; Claudia Rodríguez-Ponga – Independent Curator. Moderator: Bárbara Mur Borrás – PhD in Fine Arts.

5:00 PM End of Day.

5:30 PM Activity Visit to the Studiolo Exhibition – Candela Álvarez Soldevilla Collection.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 9

9:30 AM Meeting with Asturian Artists Speakers: María Castellanos – Artist; Avelino Sala – Artist; Consuelo Vallina – Artist. Moderator: Pablo Álvarez de Toledo – Nebrija University.

11:00 AM Activity Visit to the Niemeyer Center – Avilés.

Course Closing Ceremony.





This course is designed for art professionals, collectors, researchers, and students seeking an in-depth analysis of the dynamics that shape taste and collecting practices in contemporary art. Adopting a critical and multidisciplinary perspective, it provides a unique opportunity to rigorously examine the aesthetic, symbolic, and structural factors that underpin the legitimization of contemporary art.